Synergistic Antibiotics

For Gram Negative Bacteria

Victoria University of Wellington Researchers have developed synergistic antibiotic compounds that eliminate Gram negative bacteria resistant to current antibiotic compounds

Innovation overview

VUW researchers have developed a suite of intellectual property using combinations of two approved drug classes that demonstrate synergistic antibacterial effects with sub-micromolar activity.
The combinations have the potential to be developed for treatment of serious Gram negative infections and may be suited to treatment of pulmonary infections such as those associated with Cystic Fibrosis patients as well as ventilator associated pneumonia and topical infections.
An injectable combination product might also be developed in the case where drug is required to enter the systemic circulation. Two patent applications have been filed, each utilising a different combination of existing drug classes, and different mechanisms of action.

Features

Synergistic Power

A compound from each of two different approved drug classes (only one a known antibiotic) demonstrates synergistic effect in causing bacteriostasis.

Demonstrates sub-micromolar activity and safety, DMPK and drug-drug interaction data is available for both classes of drugs

Applications

Defeats Resistance

Synergistic effects proven to defeat resistant strains of bacteria

Treating Topical Infections

Suitable for treating topical bacterial infections

Treating Pulmonary Infections

Suitable for treating pulmonary infections such as Cystic Fybrosis

Effect against E.Coli

Demonstration graph of synergistic effect of two compounds used in combination against E. coli.

VUW Researchers have demonstrated that where antibiotic compounds (administered individually) have negligible effects on bacteria growth rate, the synergistic effect of two compounds combined results in bacteriostasis at remarkably reduced concentration levels.

VUW have tested multiple different compound combinations against multi-drug resistant clinical isolates and have demonstrated marked increases in effectiveness.

Research leader

Professor David Ackerley

Professor David Ackerley is the Biotechnology Programme Director at VUW. His research focuses on the discovery, engineering, and applications of useful bacterial enzymes, and discovery of new drugs from both established chemical collections and the unculturable bacterial communities present in diverse environmental samples. A major theme of his research is directed evolution, the artificial accele...

Contact person

Ryan Graves

A molecular and cell biologist by trade, Ryan Graves has a wealth of experience in the crossover of science and business, including close involvement in developing novel drugs for a number of diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neuron Disease, cancer and HIV-1.After moving to the United Kingdom, where he worked for a multi-national pharmaceutical company focused on monoclonal antibody treat...